


forward to the future

by youchikariko



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: F/F, mentions of chikariko, possible onesided youchika
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-08-14 16:43:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8021353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youchikariko/pseuds/youchikariko
Summary: You and Yohane finally connect on the bus.





	forward to the future

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this before Episode 11 as a projection of my hopes that You and Yohane would finally connect given how it's hinted at in the ED. Sadly that wasn't the case, and I was ultimately disappointed by what we got (mainly in execution - I love Youchika too!). I still hold out hope that we'll get interactions between them because I think these two would have really interesting dynamics together. I was inspired to write this by my friend's lovely [Youchika fic](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7966339)!
> 
> Also, You calls Yohane ‘Yoshiko’ for most of this fic. I know for a lot of people that feels like deadnaming but it’s what seems most accurate to You’s character - and everyone else in Aqours - at this point. Hopefully their moments of connection in this fic can alleviate some of that discomfort.

You should’ve seen it coming, she supposed. The dynamics between her and Chika had been shifting ever since Chika had convinced Riko to join their ramshackle idol group. Whereas it had been the two of them against the world, pumping each other up for whatever challenges they faced, there was suddenly another party entering the fray. Riko might not have known Chika for long, but somehow she understood immediately how to communicate with the girl. You would walk down alone to the bus stop after brainstorming sessions to the tune of their shared laughter. One time when she was having a sleepover at Chika’s, Chika and Riko woke her up with their talking on their balconies. The sea, long a space for You and Chika to play together, had become the location of Chika and Riko’s heart-to-hearts, while You felt herself scrambling to catch up.

Something more had happened during the final night of training camp. You couldn’t quite place it, but there was an additional layer to Chika and Riko’s interactions the next day. Chika had always been happy when talking to her neighbor, but now her smile lingered longer after they finished. They stood just a little too close to each other. Riko seemed to have a permanent blush on, much like she did after she bought her things in Tokyo, and sometimes she’d fidget with her hands and smile when she thought no one was looking. Being around them felt like an invasion of something, even if You didn’t quite know what.

Eventually, Aqours split for the end of camp. Hanamaru made Yoshiko promise that they’d meet up to work on homework over the summer, while Kanan and Mari invited Dia over to Mari’s after she got Ruby and Hanamaru back home. You and Yoshiko had already gotten on the bus when You turned around to offer Chika and Riko a final goodbye. Her words caught in her throat, however, when she saw what they were doing.

It wasn’t much. Chika had leaned over to kiss Riko just briefly on the lips. It looked chaste, but firm, like it was something she had wanted to do for a long time but now that she could, she was overwhelmed with the potential of where it could lead. When Chika withdrew, Riko clearly looked startled, but her features quickly sorted out into a beatific smile.

Still, that was enough for You. The doors of the bus closed before she could react, her overnight bag slipping off her shoulder from pure shock. She stood in the door for a few seconds until a tentative voice disrupted her thoughts.

“Yo-yousoro?” You had forgotten Yoshiko was even there until she spoke up. She turned her head towards the voice. “Yoshiko?”

“Don’t call me Yoshiko, it’s Yoha-” Yoshiko started, but she stopped abruptly when she saw You’s face. “Are you okay?” You thought about lying to her - she and Yoshiko had never spoken much on their shared bus rides before - but it had been so long since another person had looked at her with such concern. It reminded her of Chika’s face when she stared at Riko the day before. She shook her head.

“No, Yoshiko, I don’t think I am.” You walked back to sit in the seat opposite Yoshiko’s three rows from the back of the bus. She gripped her bag loosely in one hand as she slumped down in the seat. Yoshiko was silent for a second, turning to look out the window for a second before breaking the quiet again.

“Is it because of Chika and Riko?” she chanced. You’s stomach lurched forward just hearing their names. The grip on her bag tightened almost imperceptibly, but Yoshiko must’ve caught it. “Things seemed different between them today.”

You was surprised. Without seeing the kiss, even she would’ve been able to write today off as them being a little weird. She couldn’t imagine how Yoshiko could discern it. “You picked up on that too?”

“A cursed being like me has her ways of learning anything!” Yoshiko said, sounding mildly affronted. You choked out a hollow laugh that hung between them for a minute before Yoshiko tried again. “It’s weird, seeing the constants in your life change while you still seem stuck, isn’t it? I’m still confused and playing like a middle schooler, but quiet Zuramaru seems to really be coming into her own here with Ruby in Aqours.” A beat passed. “Not that she’s been in my life like Chika’s been in yours.”

You was quiet, unsure how to proceed. Chika was the person she talked to about her problems her whole life; how was she supposed to open up to someone else? And about Chika nonetheless? Her hands felt clammy, her bag starting to slip from her fingers. Still, it felt good for someone to be noticing her when it felt like she’d been out of Chika’s sight for months.

“I just… I don’t know how I feel right now,” You said. She twisted the handles of her bag nervously. “It’s been her and me together forever, you know? I always had her back, and I knew I could count on her no matter what. But now she and Riko…” She trailed off, not wanting to let Yoshiko in on what she had seen earlier. It wasn’t her secret to share. “Now the two of them seem to have something special, and I’m not sure where I fit in any more. I’m not sure how I want to fit in either.” She clenched the bag again as tears ran down her face. “I just know I don’t want to get left behind.”

A hand fell on her shoulder with a tentative but warm grip. You looked up to see Yoshiko crouched beside the seat. Her face was only about a foot away from You’s. It was the first time they’d looked so directly at each other the entire conversation.

“Look, Yousoro,” Yoshiko started. “We don’t know each other very well. And I know I’m not Chika. But we’re both figuring out where we are right now and…” She trailed off, averting her gaze for a moment before staring You straight in the eye again. “I think maybe we could help each other along the way.”

You kept on sniffling for a minute, overwhelmed by the events of the day, when she felt Yoshiko start to pull her hand away. Her hand quickly shot up to cover Yoshiko’s on her shoulder.

“Yoshiko,” You said, then, trying again when the other girl flinched a little, “Yohane. I’d… Like that. I’d like to see where we might end up. And I’d like to get to know you better too.” She tried a watery smile. “Thanks, Yohane. I know we usually don’t sit together, but would you like to sit with me for the rest of the bus ride?”

Yohane’s face lit up. “As long as you don’t mind being touched by a fallen angel!” As Yohane grabbed her bag from the other seat while chattering about a new book of arcane magic she’d found, You felt herself smiling for the first time all day. She didn’t know where she’d stand with Chika moving forward, and that was still terrifying. But maybe there were some unknowns that were worth heading into full speed ahead.


End file.
